Midstate College President Meredith Bunch says low and declining enrollment has forced the sudden closure of the 131-year-old private institution in Peoria.
“We had a sudden change in what we were projecting on Friday, and so we went ahead and announced the closure on Monday," she said.
Bunch says a plan to move forward with a partner institution fell through.
“I’m devastated. You know, we’ve had a long history of providing excellent education in the Peoria area. The faculty and staff are devastated, and I’m sad we couldn’t have closed in a more orderly fashion at a bare minimum, but we’re doing the best we can," Bunch said.
She says a transfer fair will be held for students on August 13, and transcripts will remain available for students after the August 14 closure.
Bunch says no students had yet paid tuition fees for the upcoming semester. She says application fees will be refunded.
At the time of the announcement, Midstate had 183 students and 45 full-time, adjunct and part-time staff. Bunch says they'll talk to partners about the displaced employees.
The college’s campus on Northmoor Road is for sale.
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